One Last Shot
by MetalRaven
Summary: I'm bad at summaries. Zim and Dib are friends and some water leads to sadness! Like everything else Zim I write.


disclaimer: i dont own Invader Zim! AND YES! I came up with another death sequence! No more "Dib takes pills and drinks water and dies" stuff. NOPE! Not from me. Read on to find out the newest plan. Thank you. PS- A little Dib centric...cause it can be.

I would also like to acknowledge Dark enchanter for being a motivation in my stories, because that means I have at least one fan! Thank you! (read his stuff...do it or I shall hunt you down and bombard you with Filler Bunnies...just kidding...pardon the Jhonen V reference)

oh, and to Rhye, this story is a bit AU because the ALMIGHTY JHONEN didn't intend his characters to go through painful death experiences...and with all due respect, you need to deal with that. I am not Jhonen Vasquez, and therefore cannot make my writing exactly perfect and mimicking his. Thank you.

ENJOY...Once again, Dib is sixteen. (i dont like little 11 year olds experiencing death...or however old he is)

_Dib's thoughts_

_**Zim's thoughts**_

**Diary **gotta love the DIARY! got one in every fic!

* * *

_Skool...Zim...skool...Zim...That's all I ever do. All I probably will ever do. I guess I don't have any room to complain: I like doing what I do, with the newParanormal studies in highskool, and sometimes catching glimpses of a usually annoyed Zim walking around. A lot had changed about him, except that the way he talks to and about me. Which I don't really care about because I have my own life to take care of._

Dib exited his last period in a quick effort to go home. Rain was pouring down in sheets when he left, and he was wondering how Zim was going to make it.

"Come on, Zim. The rain isn't going to kill you!"

He heard a female voice calling out to the alien. Turning towards it, he saw a very disgruntled-looking Gretchen, who had long since gotten her braces off and had longer hair. She was pulling Zim, trying to get him into the rain.

"You'd be surprised, GretCHEN!"

She had begun pulling Zim harder into the rain, some of which had dripped onto his arm and brought painful tears into his magenta eyes. He spotted Dib, and quickly made up the excuse that he was going with him to his house.

"Um...sure, yeah. Zim's coming to my house. We're...studying?"

Zim pulled himself away from Gretchen to stand next to Dib. "Maybe tomorrow."

Gretchen lefted the highskool angrily. Zim turned to Dib. "Thank you, Dib-human. That was very kind. Now, what would it be that Zim must do for you?"

"Huh?"

"The human is expecting something in return, yes?"

"No, I was just saving your butt. I felt bad because you looked pathetic, crying and all."

Zim glared. "Just don't say anything."

**_I am just glad that you did not figure out the exact reason why I was crying, as you say. That water dripped on a wound not yet healed, self inflicted. I'm sorry Dib._**

"Zim? Zim, are you okay? You kind of zoned out there for a second."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good."

Dib lent Zim his Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery umbrella to use while they walked to the car. They got in and strarted the drive to their respective homes.

He dropped Zim off at his house and started to go to his own. Dib went to start the drive when the vehicle stalled. Angrily he tried to start up the car again.

"You can stay here if you wantDib."

"Really? Thanks Zim."

He parked the car at the curb. Both boys knew that they had slowly become friends over the years, and were friendly when the need has arisen, like then.

Zim set up a sleeping place on the bed for Dib. The after-skool activities (sports for Zim and Paranormal Science Club for Dib) that they had gone to went until seven, and they were both tired. After a movie and some idiotic games they went to bed, thetime being ten.

Dib couldn't sleep. His head was filled with images of Zim, crying. Somehow he knew that simple burning wouldn't hurt that much. Zim had drugged him once, so that he had temporarily had the Irken weakness, and taking a shower hadn't hurt him enough to bring tears. He decided to investigate.

He snuck up to Zim's room, where the air was oddly still. A small red light blinked on the Irken PAK on Zim's torso, his breathing consistant with the blip. A small black book lied beneath the bed, a corner sticking out. Dib picked it up, opened it to the lastrecorded pageand read the shakey English writing.

**Diary,**

**Today, Dib lent me his umbrella with that silly Earth show slogan on it. He was nice to me, which was surprising. He went along with me when I backed out of going with Gretchen, because the ugly Earth rain would hurt me. Some touched me, and it burned my cut so bad that it brought tears to my eyes. I'm sick, and it scares me. Book, Gir is with Invader Skoodge, for he has volunteered to take care of my other friend. That I am grateful for. I am dying with the sickness. Help meso, I hope that someone remembers me..._Zim_**

Dib looked at the book to his friend and back. So, Zim was sick. And apparently very depressed because of it. He looked at Zim's water-touched arm to see a scratched-shaped mark among the dark green of the burn. He was breathing very shallowly, and sounded raspy. He shook him slowly, so as to wake him.

"Zim?"

Zim looked up at Dib's face. He smiled, "Hi."

"You never said that you were sick."

"You never asked."

Dib stared into the dark red of Zim's unlit eyes. His whole complexion had lost the rather healthy emeraldhue and was now a light green. Sadness filled him. "But, how?"

"PAK malfunction. Remember my huge outburst about germs? Well, apparently, they attack the internal workings of it and dismantle it completely. Oxygen has poisoned me too much. The only way you could know about my sickness was my diary, and you also know that I will die soon."

"And I will remember you."

With that, Zim coughed enough to rack his whole body frame. Some red blood trickled from his mouth. Humans have red blood. Maybe Zim wasn't that different all along.

He coughed again, this time a sickening breathe accompanying it. Zim stared happily into Dib's eyes, and he reached out for his wrist.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have been friends longer."

With that he breathed shakily and closed his eyes. He sighed and coughed normally, as all breath left him. Dib backed away and hit the wall. He sank to his knees as he curled up around them.

"I'm sorry too, Zim. But, maybe we can be friends longer."

He knew that Zim kept some special things locked up into cabinets in his base. Using the side table in the living room, he went down to see what he could find.

A myriad of drugs were usuallylocked up in a cabinet, somehow lefted unlocked this night. He opened it up, and found some simple components of the stuff used in prisons for lethal injection. Also, he found a shot needle, loading it up with the chemicals. Full of sadness, he put the needle into his skin, and pushed themixture through. As he did that, he gota sudden thought.

_I don't think that I really want to die._

And now it was too late, for the chemicals were already coursing through his veins. The feeling of ice water ran through him, severely draining his energy. Slowly, he made his way up into the house, and into Zim's room.

Tears had long since invaded his eyes as the dying boy made it all the way to his destination. He used the rest of his strength to push himself onto the bed where Zim lied, and covered himself up. He made sure there was enough space between them, and tried his hardest to fall asleep, knowing that he would not wake up.

* * *

Strong pounds were heard on the door to Zim's house. Gretchen was alarmed at Zim's two-day absence, and she had pulled Membrane and Gaz with her, because Dib had been gone also.

They broke down the door to search for the boys. Gaz searched the base, not caring about the alien's identity anymore. Gretchen and Membrane searched the house.

A twenty minute search had brought nothing. They came together in the living room to discuss where they may have gone.

"Wait, we haven't checked the bedroom."

"Why would they be there?"

"Just go!"

They went up into the bedroom to find Dib and Zim sleeping side by side. Angrily, Membrane went to wake up his son, when he realized neither were a part of the living anymore. Sadly, he got a cell phone, and called an ambulance. He thought that if he had been better with his son, maybe he wouldn't have freely given up his life, as he could tell he had. If anyone had payed attention to either boy...

Maybe they wouldn't be dead.

* * *

OK! Not as proud with this either, but liked it! The lethal injection came to me...in a dream! Yes, I dreamed that someone hated me and forcefully did that to me...and I died. Ha, if I was dead I don't think I'd be writing this. Please R and R, I accept all, flames or not. Sorry, ZIM STILL DIED B/C OF HIS PAK! AND DIB DIED BECAUSE OF ZIM, AND ALSO DIEDIN THE BEDROOM! If anyone cares that much about the repetition, tell me. I will fix it. Anything you tell me just makes me make the next fic better, so don't be afraid.


End file.
